CompleteMartialArts.com - Made in America: The Most Dominant Champion in UFC History
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Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
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Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 796.8092 EAN: 9781416948834 ISBN: 141694883X Label: Simon Spotlight Entertainment Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight Entertainment Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 304 Publication Date: 2008-01-01 Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment Studio: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
If you know anything at all about mixed martial arts and the UFC, then you know the name Matt Hughes. With devastating slams and ground-and-pound -- and nine championship belts to his credit -- Matt is the most dominant fighter in UFC history.
Matt was raised with his twin brother on a family farm in small-town Hillsboro, Illinois. Behind the postcard-perfect fields of corn, beans, and wheat stood a home consumed by bankruptcy, tension, and interpersonal struggles, but Matt reacted to hard times by playing hard and working even harder.
In high school and college Matt was an unstoppable wrestler, and he ended up a two-time Division I All-American. Whereas every year's top eight graduating college football players become instant millionaires, Matt got to stay on as assistant wrestling coach, doing electrical work on the side for fourteen dollars an hour. All of that changed the day he met legendary MMA manager Monte Cox, as well as Pat Miletich, a trainer who also happened to be the welterweight champion of the world.
Rising through the ranks of the independent fighting circuit and the UFC, Matt saw things that fans could only catch glimpses of -- until now. For the first time, a major UFC superstar has decided to answer all the questions the fans have about him, the organization, and the sport. You'll learn which fighter almost sent Matt packing from mixed martial arts; why he refused to speak to his role model, Randy Couture; and what his relationship with UFC president Dana White is like. He reveals in which match he found himself praying to God for help, why he originally refused a shot at the world title, and what it's like training at the Miletich Fighting Camp. Matt describes working on TV's The Ultimate Fighter, what really happened to Tito Ortiz during the legendary brawl on the streets of London, just how personal his rivalry with Frank Trigg became, and what it was like to go up against the mythical Royce Gracie -- and destroy him.
Matt discloses his most private thoughts and feelings during both his epic victories and his crushing losses. But when the gloves come off, there's Matt Hughes the man. He talks with unflinching honesty about his early hell-raising and his near-death experience, the moment he let God into his heart, falling in love with his wife, the birth of his daughter, and all the important events of his life -- and he shares personal photographs never before seen by the public.
A Christian, a family man, and a fighter, Matt Hughes could only have been made in America.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Dissapointed ! Comment: I think this book is worth the money I spent on it;but I was hoping he'd say his bad attitude was fake to sell tickets.He truly is a jerk and if you read this book;he'll tell you all about it! Customer Rating: Summary: Country Boy! Comment: Wow, I'm amazed by the horrible reviews here. Do you people even know what MMA is??
Matt Hughes is cocky, he isn't the most dominant champion of all time, he's a horrible writer, that's what they said! Well of course he is cocky, it's called the superior confidence of being a dominant champion. That kind of "cocky" confidence, is what gets your hand raised at the end of the fight, these are men, professional fighters that want to break your face more than anything.The writing isn't perfect, right, that means that the words are straight from Matt, not some notetaking editor.
I'm a hardcore UFC fan and I've seen Matt win and I have seen Matt get totally dominated, never has he been disrespectful to an opponent. He earned his place in the UFC and reigned as champion, his glory days are over, but he will "DEFINITELY" be in the UFC Hall of Fame.
I read this book in about a week, thats quick for me. I loved it!
It's Matt's life, his story, the ups and downs, the road to the UFC and his personal life. The book is very entertaining, with many funny stories, as well as great fight stories.
If you love the UFC and MMA you'll love this book. 5 Stars! Customer Rating: Summary: Mediocre at Best Comment: Several reviews have already said it better than I can, but my opinion of Matt Hughes after reading this has dropped considerably. I am a huge sports biography fan so I understand that athletes are human, but there were several anecdotes in the book that left me baffled.
For example he told a story of his uncle having issues controlling his bladder. There was no context for the story and it made Matt look like an immature jerk for even including it in the book.
He often recounts stories of his interactions with other fighters and fans where he either bullies or acts like an arrogant jerk to them. Instead of telling the stories as if he made a mistake and regrets his behavior, he seems to think he actually did the right thing in those situations and feels completely justified.
Like others have said, the writing is terrible and there is no flow or rhythm to the stories. MMA junkies and Matt Hughes fans will probably like the book because there are a few "inside access" stories that are interested, but get it from the library. Customer Rating: Summary: Caught in the Middle Comment: Matt Hughes has been one of the most dominate champions the UFC has ever known. This book is essentially his life's story, and how a man went from a small rural town to the big lights of the UFC.
The book is honest and revealing: Everything from street fights to his conversion to Christianity, to his near death experience at the swirl pool to his long up and downs with his current wife. The book does a great job of capturing Hughes' voice and personality.
I found this book to be more entertaining than Iceman: My Fighting Life (although I would never say that to Liddell's face). Nevertheless, both were great reads and provide extraordinary behind-the-door information about the fastest growing sport in the country.
Customer Rating: Summary: Country simple. But not in a wholesome way. Comment: Wow. I thought I was stunned by level of drivel in this book but I'm even more stunned to find that 17 people gave this book 5 stars. I would love for them to tell me which parts made them laugh out loud.
Over and over in the reviews, the book is praised for its brutal honesty. Sure, it would be great if Jeffery Dahmer were candid about the tickles and delights of dismembering people and shagging them after he had killed them, but I'm not sure it makes his actions any more palatable. In fact, if 'ol Jeffrey, who also became a born again christian, were to tell us how he had learned and changed as result of his new found christian ways (or just with a little introspection), we may even be able to find *him* acceptable.
Matt, on the hand, tells us about how he's nasty to people and then leaves it at that. Throughout the book, his little anecdotes have no connection to each other and almost never lead up a realisation or a bigger point. It's almost like sitting next to someone on the bus who incessantly gives you a commentary like "That shop is open. That tree is green. That man looks angry."
And often he almost brags about some of the occasions when he was less than kind to others and feels fully justified and content with his actions.
Saying that, I don't have to like the protagonist of a book to enjoy reading it. But I think if I were to tap Matt, and I don't mean with an armbar or choke but rather like you'd tap a tree for sap, I'd probably discover the essence of boring. Though sadly, boring is not in great demand and so my discovery wouldn't help me recover the cost of this book.
Anyway, I don't doubt this guy's work ethic (and it's paid off too as he is a pretty damn good fighter) but it's possible that he did little besides train and fight because nothing much else seems to have happened in his life. Though he's happy to include loads of conversations of the "could you pass the salt?" ilk so that he could at least rob us of whatever more exciting time we could have had if we weren't reading the book.
Ah, the simple life.
It's sweet that everyone sees him as a simple country boy and family man. I mean just when the guy is about to get jiggy with a hot girl, this is what he writes:
I sat down on the bed, and she sat on top of me.
"So what's your favourite colour?" I asked her.
"Green," She said.
"Mine too."
Uhm. What is he...five? I haven't heard that kind of chat since I was in kindergarten. Well, at least he's being nice and lovely there. Imagine most of the book with that level of excitement but smeared with a good dollop of nastiness and arrogance.
If you are a fan of Matt Hughes, you'd be better off spending a couple of hours re-watching all his fights than you would the few hours you'd never get back if you read this book.
